Agreement reached on new Storstrøm Bridge

Parliament appears ready to approve construction on a new bridge connecting the islands of Zealand and Falster. The bridge will replace the current Storstrøm Bridge, which was permanently closed to freight train traffic last year after cracks began to appear.

The transport minister, Henrik Dam Kristensen, said yesterday that a majority of parliament's transport committee had agreed to begin construction on the combination highway and double track rail bridge, which will also include a bicycle and pedestrian path.

After debating the bridge for several months, the parties agreed to start the project now, partly to ensure that it was open in 2021, when the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link between Denmark and Germany is scheduled to be completed, and partly to apply for funding from the EU's TEN-T programme.